THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



253 



I 



pmt. 



it 





- d Jt ** Id upon what we here call good deep 



*? Cgh u£on the generality of wet soils 



^ij Ja*fc tho n U n f be L desirable to depart from the 



fcS-rf 1 " ^ ur ^ e commonly called in Suffolk the 

 ^.established course c J fi the fol . 



JRon* ^J clover or Beans, followed by Wheat. 

 E* §P w g 'the .S for many years in both Norfolk 

 1* *i ^ *et h W lands" though of late a pro- 

 -* S ^lKh«£S.Srown upon the Wheat stubbles 

 .^Uon of lares . q the summer9 and the 



'"" deff ^ ff "i "/sheep ; the land being then broken 

 TmBXa l f Io*ed for Barley. It has, however, been found 

 U * ^ I T Jeland is not kind for Clover ; it is, there- 

 5* ^ ^ o« ^e Tares upon that proportion of the 

 ^T^eJed for Beans, after the Barley crop is 



^P^t'-AUheTast meeting of this Club, a lecture 

 fEfrered by one of its members on the Various 

 Sorting 'the Turnip Crop The lecturer con- 

 r5fi!™»lf chiefly to three of the most formidable 

 !li« which ioSt the Turnip crop-the Turnip fly 

 !!Z3e the caterpillar, and the wire-worm. Respecting 

 SL tot 'the Turnip flies, it appears that the history of 

 tW little rests for a long time puzzled, not only the 

 mtical \griculturist, but the man of science likewise ; 

 Lt it is now better understood. They hybernate, or live 

 throueh the winter in a torpid state, and may be found 

 under the bark of trees, &c. ; but, inactive as they are 

 dirinf the winter, on the first indication of spring, they 

 quit their winter quarters for sunny situations, and feed 

 b gardens on Cabbage-plants, as early as March, and in 

 April they get away to the fields. May and June are the 

 periods when they are to be most dreaded by the farmer, 

 just as the young Turnips are coming into leaf. The 

 •exes pair between April and September, and the female 

 beetle Isys her eggs (about one egg daily) on the under 

 tide of the leaf. It requires about 30 days to carry the 

 insect through its various stages, up to the time when it 

 becomes a perfect fly or beetle. It remains an egg about 

 10 days, a maggot 6 days, and a chrysalis 14 days. 

 It is, however, in their last and perfect stage that these 

 insects are most to be dreaded. It is the beetle that 

 destroys the two first smooth leaves of the Turnip by 

 piercing them like a sieve, destroying the cellular tissue, 

 and stopping the growth of the plant. It was at this 

 stage of their existence that the lecturer recommended an 

 instrument now frequently used by Cornish farmers, 

 called the fly-catcher — a board newly painted or tarred— 

 which, while the flies are numerous, should be passed 

 over the same ground three or four times a day ; by which 

 means myriads may soon be destroyed. The lecturer 

 then alluded to the effect of lime, sulphur, soot, fumiga- 

 tion, and many other remedies, but did not think they 

 could be depended on. He believed that thick sowing, 

 and the use of artificial manures, drilled in with the seed, 

 were more effectual, as the Turnip, when in rough leaf, is 

 jot in any danger from the attacks of the beetle ; there- 

 fore, it must be evident that our first care must be to 

 force on the young plant, and this can only be done by 

 proper manures, or using such means as he had recom- 

 mended to destroy or drive them away. Just after the 

 lurnips have outgrown the attacks of the fly, they are 

 liable to the ravages of the caterpillar, which the lecturer 

 considered as only a less formidable enemy, because there 

 ire fewer seasons which produce them in sufficient abun- 

 dance to injure a crop materially ; for when they do be- 

 come numerous, there is no greater pest. With respect 

 w the remedy, the lecturer said that the only one which 



■L « 7j w ? s pickin * them b y haud - He knew " of 



some fields that had been cleared of caterpillars by means 



•h^Kj i ks drivea on them 5 but there are some kinds 

 tkp 1 • / refuse * About the same s ^ge of its growth 



midlw y ° Ung Turni P s are ex P° sed t0 another for " 

 fetomL en P em y- the wire-worm, which is the most trou- 



that we 1Q8eCt8 t0 the Agriculturist. It appears 



insects- iV* J6t Very im perfectly acquainted with these 

 •pedes of l tk 8taled tbat there are u P™rds of 60 different 

 portion of th II is P robabIe that a ver y considerable 

 Plants Th i U P 0Q our most valuable cultivated 

 while 'iMrnW r wiU destr °y them, but these birds, 



J 'ted plants ^' 0t - her VKJ ' puU Uf> S ° Und ""* mUti " 

 Tarnips are n ^ f nmmatel y» so that both worms and 

 case we IZ u ,n one co *nion distinction. In this 



lecturer con , 'd "5' " SaV6 me fr ° m my friends '\' The 

 f**t • their S1 6 if '^ tne ro °k s were increasing too 



«^d muchTrouh?^!^ S ,° great ' that they fre * MntI y 

 torn fan I* : ? u , ble t0 the farmer. He would diminish 



' DUt ^tamlynot destroy^ them alt ogether. 



On the F ; T^*^ 



U *reasonZeZt^ fr0 ?r the ^'^ Irr ^ lar and 

 **»B ) BvP f tv £ lon °f L <™d into Fields (der Flurz- 



K short noticV°nf ^- U8 ' ? tatt S ard > 1843 » Cotta > 8v . 

 ttiQ *te atten Z i • u lS WOrk wiu show our readers the 

 eTer 7 branch Tf a • 0Ur contin -entai neighbours pay to 

 t* * entteed s„ A S ricu lture. It may also be useful to 

 5n ^«ret that » pa f r< ; eUln S out land in the many extensive 

 A Snculturi sU in re f l ?, g place '> and still more so to our 

 ^ din "nt s whichni w! loniei * Amongst the many im- 

 l he U ^ZZtvK thG eXertions of the small farmer, 

 Tent 'Og, as it dIT ♦ u 0ccu P les a prominent place, pre- 

 ^ti'tting ornl ° Wner of 8ma11 P^t8 of land from 

 **nner. The aW T^, U . sin & hU g roand *» the best 

 Tcni <nce, begin- l]l > mtended to ob ^ ia te this incon- 

 'r^^l^^^5fPQ »ition of the origin and the 



SlJS^^Se^S m?^^ word Flurzwang ; 



^^ u onwehav e r aae S7t^f athercd more <* ll r from the 



»aue of it m tae tiUe abo ?e. 



disadvantages of the " field-constraint," to which an inap- 

 propriate parcelling out of the fields, the want of proper 

 by-roads and a proper direction of the drains, the shape- 

 less form of single fields, and a constant interference 

 and collision of neighbouring farmers, are owing. In 

 several parts of Germany (especially in Nassau) means 

 have been taken to obviate this inconvenience by a 

 systematic division of the fields, and Prof. Knaus con- 

 tends, that it is only by relieving the small farmer of every 

 such restriction that Agriculture can reach its highest 

 degree of perfection. This new parcelling out of fields is 

 to be made on the following principles : — 1. That 

 the tithings or estates should be intersected by regular 

 by-roads, in accordance with the nature of the lands. 

 2. That all fields, or at least the greater part, should have 

 such a regular form, that all encircling or crooked-shaped 

 fields be as much as possible avoided. 3. That all the 

 fields should abut with their smaller extremity, if not 

 with both, on a by-way, so that every owner, even of the 

 smallest plot, should be able to approach his field without 

 intruding on other people's ground ; and it might thus be 

 also possible that the ploughmen could turn on the 

 by-way, being neutral ground. 4. That all fields situated 

 within the same natural boundary, being nearly all of the 

 same length, should differ only in breadth, and that irre- 

 gular forms be avoided in all possible cases. 5. That a 

 division of single plots should only be permitted as far as 

 their breadth is concerned, and this merely to a certain 

 extent ; no division to take place so as to isolate a plot 

 altogether from the by-way, by which that vexatious right- 

 of-way system would be again unavoidably introduced. 

 6. In all cases where a new parcelling out of plots of land 

 takes place, care should be taken that each farmer should 

 take his plot next to one he already possesses, the necessary 

 regard being paid to the quality of soil, &c. 7. The above, 

 however, are not to prevent, but rather to facilitate, the ex- 

 changing of land between owners of fields on the same, nay, 

 even on different plots of land, so that the number of sub- 

 divisions on the same plot should be decreased as much as 

 possible. 8. The limits of anciently-established plots 

 should by no means be respected, especially if they be based 

 on unnatural demarcations ; and their number should be 

 decreased as much as possible ; also all unnecessary by- 

 ways, ditches, drains, &c, should be abolished. 9. The 

 new by-ways should be so macadamised with stone, that 

 they wouldbe passable in every season, especially in winter, 

 by dung-carts or waggons. 10. The drains, as well the 

 open as the covered ones, after having been properly laid 

 out, should be kept in repair at the expense of the hundred 



or tithing. 



The author does not shrink from acknowledging the 

 many difficulties in the way of his plans (especially in plots 

 of land much cut up by differently-owned fields) ; yet he 

 shows from experience that such difficulties may be over- 

 come by an earnest desire to be useful to ourselves and 

 posterity, and points out the best means to effect it. The 

 impediments hitherto thrown in the way of abolishing 

 " field-constraint" appears to Dr. Knaus to be capable of 

 the following arrangement :— 1. Want of instruction and 

 encouragement ; 2. Deficiency of good surveyors ac- 

 quainted with the circumstances of agriculture ; 3. Want of 

 harmony in the farmers ; 4. Financial impediments ; 5. 

 Objections raised by landed proprietors, mortgagees, sur- 

 veyors, &c. ; 6. The fear of the instability of such im- 

 provements, on account of the legislature not paying suf- 

 ficient attention to the evils produced by irrational par- 

 celling out of fields. The author therefore proposes that 

 the assistance of the law should be given to such transac- 

 tions, in so far that the owners of every hundred should 

 have an absolute right to decide about the future demarca- 

 tion of their ground, according to a majority of votes, the I 

 number of votes to depend on the quantity and quality of 

 land possessed. As the votes would not only give rights, 

 but also imply obligations, the author thinks that the 

 interests of the minority would be secure from any undue 

 encroachment. By these means, also, we should avoid 

 regulations being laid down on a too general basis, which 

 would not tally with the nature and circumstances of spe- 

 cial localities. If, therefore, the law would leave these 

 particular arrangements to the owners of land themselves, 

 it is not to be apprehended that they would do anything 

 contrary to their own interest. In a legititimate decision 

 of a legitimately-chosen majority, every owner of land 

 would, whilst he may, to a certain extent, sacrifice a por- 

 tion of his unbounded territorial rights, yet be sure that he 

 has done so for the great good of the whole, which would, 

 in the long run, turn to his own individual advantage. 



Dr. Knaus proceeds, in the subsequent parts of his 

 work, to establish the following rules, in relation to the 

 doing away with " field-constraint :"— 1. That the ques- 

 tion, whether and by whom the hitherto faulty field- 

 division of land should be rectified, is to be decided by a 

 general meeting of the owners, and be binding even on 

 those of the minority. 2. That the law should only regu- 

 late the minimum of each parcelling-out of fields, in the 

 most general terms, the special stipulations to be left to the 

 owners of fields in every hundred, tithing, or plot ; this to 

 be done, moreover, in accordance with the circumstances 

 of locality, quality of soil, &c. He then states the 

 advantages which have been derived in Nassau from similar 

 arrangements (the so-called consolidation of land), on 

 about 80 plots of land, and an area of more than 100,000 

 Berlin acres, and corroborates his assertion of the necessity 

 of a somewhat stipulated minimum in the parcelling out 

 of land, by the conviction that without it the beneficial 

 results of a rational and judicious subdividing of landed 

 property could not have been accomplished. He states 

 some striking examples, how the value of property has 

 increased by the abolition of the hitherto existing boundary 

 restrictions, in which all care has been taken duly to com- | 



_ — _ u -^ 



pensate the small owners. Amongst others, he points out. 

 the case of a plot of meadow land, which, being properly 

 arranged, according to the above plan, yields now 30 cwt. 

 of Hay, instead of 3 per acre, as it used to do before, 

 because draining had become possible under the new 

 arrangement. The author states further, that a greater 

 freedom of Agriculture, and the satisfaction of cultivating. 



in the tithing of Wiblingen, in the Electorate of Baden y 

 3 and 4, the same, in another tithing ; the others are ideal* 

 plans of a tithing where the ancient faulty division of fields 

 is changed for a rational and judicious one. — J. L. 



Miscellaneous. 



Fixing Ammonia. — In dung reservoirs, well con- 

 structed and protected from evaporation, the carbonate of 

 Ammonia which forms in consequence of putrefaction is 

 retained in solution ; and when the putrefied urine is spread 

 over the land, a part of this Ammonia will escape with the 

 water which evaporates. On account of the formation of 

 carbonate of Ammonia in putrid urine, it becomes alka- 

 line, though naturally acid in its recent state ; and when 

 this carbonate of Ammonia is lost by being volatilised in 

 the air, (which happens inmost cases,) the loss suffered 

 is nearly equal to one-half of the urine employed. So> 

 that, if we fix the Ammonia, (by combining it with some 

 acid which forms with it a compound not volatile,) we in- 

 crease its action twofold. Now this can be done in many 

 ways * * * If, for instance, a field be strewed with gypsum, 

 or plaster of Paris, (in chemical language, sulphate of 

 lime,) and then sprinkled with urine, or the drainings of 

 the cow-shed, a double exchange or decomposition takes 

 place ; sulphate of lime and carbonate of Ammonia become 

 converted into carbonate of lime (that is, chalk) and sul- 

 phate of Ammonia; and this because sulphuric acid has a 

 greater affinity for Ammonia than it has for lime. This 

 sulphate of Ammonia will remain in the soil — it will not 

 evaporate. — Smith's Productive Farming. 



Milking Properties of different Breeds of Cows. — 

 From these reports (as may be seen by their summary) it, 

 appears that the milk of the Kerry cows was richer in 

 cream than that of either the Ayrshire or the Galloways ; 

 but rather inferior to the former in point of quantity. 



KING WILLIAM'S TOWN DAIRY. 

 Experiments on Ayrshire, Galloway, and Kerry Cows, from the 



18th day of April to the 1/th day of June, 1841. 



3 Galloway 

 cows 



Average number of quarts milked from 3 Gal- 

 loway cows from the time of calving till the pre- 

 sent date, 6i quarts per day each. 



<H quarts of 



milk produced 



1 lb. of salt 



butter. 



4 Kerry cows 



1769 1698 64 



J91 



Average number of quarts milked from 4 Kerry 

 cows from the time of calving till the present 

 date, 7i quarts per day each. 



9 Ayrshire , , ■ , 



cows 1*313* 3086 J 1202£| 25 



8 1 quarts of 



milk produced 



1 lb. of salt 



butter. 



302 



Average number of quarts milked from 9 Ayr 

 shire cows from the time of calving till the pre 

 sent date, 9 quarts per day each. 



10 l-5th quarts 

 of milk pro- 

 duced 1 lb. of 

 salt butter. 



The above 9 Ayrshire cows, when milked the first summer m 

 1838. having then produced their first calf, and each three years 

 old. gave in the month of July 6/4 quarts per day, being an 

 average number of 74 quarts to each cow per day- The same 

 Ayrshire cows being six years old at May, 184 1 , each having P ro- 

 duced four calves, gave in the month of June, 1841,93 quarts per 

 day, average number 10* quarts to each cow per day for the 

 month of June, being an increase of 2 5 -6ths quarts of milk to 

 each cow per day for June. The above four Kerry cows had each 

 produced their first calf, and were four years old at May 1*4 1. 

 The above three Galloway cows had each produced their first 

 calf, and were three years old at May, 1841. 



—English Agricultural Society s Journal. 



Experiments with Manures.— Having used a large 

 quantity of guano in raising green crops at Bailyhidy, and 

 havinjr made a few experiments with different manures, I 

 inclose a table showing the result*. The green crops 

 after Oats, the soil an adhesive clay, but all furrow- 

 drained, and subsoil-ploughed 15 ins. deep, and limed, 50 

 barrels per acre, before the crops were put down— the 

 land is now greatly improved and perfectly dry. A portion 

 of the drained ground was trenched, but the produce was 

 30 per cent, less than when the subsoil was not brought 



to the surface. 



Quantity of Swedes growing on One Scotch Acre, from different 



kinds of Manure, sown May 19. 1843. 



Varieties of 

 Seeds. 



Manure 



Produce 



Laing's Swede. . 

 Do. do. 

 Do. do. 

 Do. do. 



Bones 30 bushels 



Guano, 2 cwt. Bones, 15 bushels 



iGuano 4 cwt. 



Farm-yard Manure 40Tons. 



The guano was mixed with coal-ashes, 4 cwt. ashes to 

 lewt. guano.— A. Templeton, Dublin farmer s Gaze ve. 

 Stall Feeding.-Every one will admit .thewpenor 

 value of artificial grasses, who has made a » ir tn **, ™ . 

 difference between feeding cattle upon them cut , gr ee 

 given within doors, and on the other hand .n 1 torn ng 



» 



cattle sm'» rpon a common pasture. 



A trial of this kind 



